Keeper for a day

For many of us, the chance to see what goes on behind the scenes at any zoo or wildlife park would be something beyond our wildest dreams! But now the opportunity to do just that is on offer, and could be a great gift for any animal lover who really wants to have the chance to talk to staff, meet some of the animals & get stuck in for the day. PLEASE read the key info or notes for each experience before you buy - many have age restrictions for instance.

£225.00 Spend your day behind the scenes at the award-winning Woburn Safari Park, home to 80 different species of amazing animals. Join the staff and help with their daily tasks as you experience life as an animal keeper first hand. Mucking out, food preparation and close encounters with the animals – it’s all in this day’s work. You’ll also have an off-road safari tour where you will likely spot rhinos, zebras and giraffes… maybe even the Przewalski's horse, which Woburn Safari Park saved from extinction. Whatever you see, you’re sure to have a fabulous day at the park, getting to know the animals and the keepers. Go to Virgin Experience Days for more info

Spend your day at the the Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Kent, helping a keeper with their daily tasks around the site. You could be mucking out the African lion, or preparing tasty snacks for the Amur leopard. There’ll be a buffet lunch to help you revitalize during your exciting day along with tea or coffee. Bring your camera! This is a pretty special opportunity to go behind the scenes and discover more about these wonderful animals & their conservation. Go to Virgin Experience Days for more infoThis experience is also available at the weekends for £350 from Virgin Experience Days.

Zookeeper for a Day at Bristol Zoo GardensBristol, Avon£250Be a keeper for the day at Bristol Zoo Gardens and gain a real understanding of what's involved in looking after animals in a zoo environment. The day runs from 8.45am to 4.45pm, giving you a chance to work in four key areas: - Ectotherm; includes aquarium, Butterfly Forest, Bug world and reptiles- Presentations; includes fur seals and 'presentation animals'- Mammals; includes primates, Zona Brazil, Twilight world and Monkey Jungle- Birds; includes penguins, animal food stores and all birds on site. During the day you’ll get access to the enclosure and experience of cleaning enclosures, feeding, and animal enrichmentClick here to go to Buy a Gift to treat the animal lover in your life to this gift.

£175.00Be a guest and temporary colleague at Flamingo Land Zoo for the day and discover what it’s really like to work as a Zoo keeper. You'll gain a wealth of hands-on knowledge including how to care for some of the world’s rarest and most exotic creatures & find that being a zookeeper isn't for the faint hearted. There's also 20% off in the gift shop, plus Admission to Flamingo Land Theme Park & Zoo

Animal Keeper for a Day at Woburn Safari Park£225 Meet the keepers and start helping them out with daily tasks to care for the animals, such as mucking out and preparing food. You'll have an off-road tour of the animal reserves with an experienced ranger, and a chance to visit the bigger animals before getting hands-on experience with some of the animals living around the foot safari. Head for home with an ‘Animal Keeper’ certificate as a souvenir of your day. You can stay after the experience and explore the other public areas of the park until closing time. Head to Virgin Experience Days for more information.

Zoo Keeper for a Day at Shepreth Wildlife Park, Hertfordshire£149.00Get up close and personal with a range of animals as you become a zoo keeper for the day at Shepreth Wildlife Park. Get stuck into cleaning enclosures, feeding animals and making sure they are entertained and happy. Look after meerkats, lemurs, otters, bugs and invertebratges. You'll receive entrance in the wildlife park, waterworld and bug city, and take home a t-shirt, certificate, animal photo of your choice and lunch. Go to Activity Superstore for more information.